Edinburgh cuts: Charities face 'inevitable closure' unless council agrees to fund them
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Those under threat include groups providing vital services to some of the city’s most vulnerable citizens for whom the loss of support would have “devastating” consequences.
The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board, the council-NHS body which oversees health and social care in the Capital, originally threatened to halt the charities’ grants mid-year, but agreed at the beginning of November to continue them until the end of the financial year - and now that has been extended until June.


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Hide AdBut Edinburgh Health Community Forum (ECHF), which brings together 39 health groups and charities, said after that date all the grants - totalling £4.5 million - will cease and unless the city council can come up with funding many of the affected organisations will have to close.
One such group is the Murrayfield Dementia Project, which provides lunch clubs and day services for those who are elderly and frail or living with early-stage dementia.
The project, known as the Murrayfield Club, was started in 1990 by three local churches and receives all its funding - about £54,000 a year - from the EIJB. Loss of that funding will force its closure, resulting in the five staff members being made redundant and eight voluntary opportunities being stopped.
The club runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with around 20 members who take part in activities morning and afternoon, with a hot lunch in between. And there’s also a cafe every Friday, attended by some of the members and others as well.
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Hide AdThe Rev David Scott, minister of Saughtonhall United Reformed Church and chair of the trustees, said: “For most of the members, the club is the highlight of their week - if they didn’t have that they would be isolated. And it’s not just the 20 members who benefit, it’s the families, spouses and carers, who get a break.
“If the grant stops the we wold have to close, there’s really no other option. But the fall-out from that is our members would have to be referred n to something else, so it’s going to put more pressure on the statutory services and mean more expense in the long run.”
Another organisation facing closure is Phonelink Edinburgh, a twice-daily check call service for over-60s that offers social interaction, medication prompts, welfare and safety checks, and eating and drinking prompts.
Kellie Mercer, Manager of Phonelink Edinburgh, said: “Phonelink Edinburgh receives £88,000 in funding from the EIJB grant. Among other check-ins, we carry out 128 medication prompts twice daily, 7 days a week. The estimated cost for Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership (EHSCP) to do the same would be £256,960 – and that is without considering the other welfare and safety services Phonelink Edinburgh offers.”
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Hide AdAnd on behalf of its member organisations, the Edinburgh Health Community Forum is urging the city council to find the money needed to allow these projects to continue.


Stephanie-Anne Harris, of EHCF, said “Without the necessary funding, closures are inevitable. These community-led charities cannot afford to exist without long-term public funding, and the threat of this soon being removed is hanging over their heads, preventing future planning.
“Edinburgh Health Community Forum has heard from many member organisations that are expecting to have to shut down next year due to the cuts in funding. An alternative must be found to cover their core costs.”
She said everyone was pleased to see an extension of the EIJB grant until June 2025. “However, now an alternative source of funding must be found to prevent devastating consequences for Edinburgh’s most vulnerable citizens.
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Hide Ad“Without Edinburgh charities and third sector organisations, the fabric of the community collapses. It is imperative that together we carve out a sustainable future for the city’s third sector, one that delivers high-impact services, strengthens community resilience, reduces pressure on statutory services and achieves better outcomes for Edinburgh’s most vulnerable citizens.
“We urge Edinburgh City Council to step up, provide clarity, and commit to funding that ensures these vital organisations can continue their essential work.”
A spokesperson for the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership said: “The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) has agreed to extend the third sector grants programme by three months to allow grant recipients more time to adapt.
“The EIJB is working with third sector organisations to co-produce a commissioning model for the future that is aligned to our new strategic plan and within the EIJB’s financial envelope.
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Hide Ad“The EIJB's budget deficit which was inherited in 2016 remains, with savings of £51m required next year. The EIJB has a legal duty to protect core services such as care homes and drug death prevention services.”
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